In March and April of 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, Al was asked by many clients and referral partners for assistance to develop pandemic response plans. For example, a Western Canadian professional association with 200+ located in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the NWT needed help to ensure they had the correct protocols in place for staff returning from out of country and for the major transition of work from the office to home. Additionally, they wanted assistance in responding to staff requests to conduct international travel. Their goal was to keep everyone safe in a time of utmost uncertainty.
Al worked with the client’s outsourced HR firm on the pandemic response plan and developed the best practice guidelines for managing COVID-19 in the workplace; by interviewing executive team members, conducting thorough online research, and determining critical tasks that could have risk of exposure. The plan included definitions, prevention, exposure assessments, virus transmission routes, emergency measures, travel, employer obligations, responding to employee concerns, reporting potential exposures, first aid / medical treatment, communication and evaluation.
Al’s training and experience in Emergency Operations Centre management was invaluable during this assignment, as he was able to quickly assess the big picture and develop a logistical plan that the client could execute quickly and effectively across four provinces and a territory. The client was pleased with the end product, and even communicated that their legal counsel fully agreed with Al’s interpretation of their employer obligations related to employees working from home.
